By Claire Jones
Every summer seems to bring another stretch of triple-digit heat, weeks without meaningful rain, and lawns that turn brown almost overnight. While we can't control the weather, we can choose plants that are better equipped to handle it. The key is designing with resilience in mind. By selecting plants naturally adapted to heat, humidity, and …
Continue reading "Gardening Through Heat Waves: Plants That Never Miss a Beat"
There is something wonderfully old-fashioned about fritters. Generations of cooks and gardeners have relied on them as a delicious way to transform seasonal harvests into something crisp, savory, and comforting. Beyond their nostalgic appeal, fritters are also surprisingly nutritious, packed with fresh vegetables, herbs, and endless possibilities for variation. Offering a welcome alternative to the …
Continue reading "The Great Garden Fritter Fry Up"
With another heat wave and possible heat dome settling over much of the country this week, gardeners need to think beyond simple watering. Extended periods of intense heat can stress plants, dry soil rapidly, damage roots, and even impact pollinators and bees. A few proactive steps can help your garden weather extreme temperatures with far …
Continue reading "Coping With Heat Waves and Heat Domes in the Garden"
Coming Soon — The Gardener's Bible I’m excited to share that my new book, The Gardener's Bible, will be released soon through HarperCollins! This beautifully illustrated guide is filled with practical advice, plant combinations, seasonal inspiration, and design ideas for creating vibrant, resilient gardens throughout the year. It will be released October 27, 2026. You …
Continue reading "Introducing My New Book: The Gardener’s Bible"
Every spring, chive blossoms burst into bloom in the herb garden, attracting pollinators and adding a splash of purple to the landscape. But these edible flowers can also be transformed into one of the prettiest homemade vinegars you’ll ever make. Chive blossom vinegar develops a delicate onion flavor and a beautiful rosy color that looks …
Continue reading "Spring in a Bottle: Chive Blossom Vinegar"
If there’s one shrub that has quietly reinvented itself over the last few years, it’s the hydrangea. There is a hydrangea for every situation. At Cultivate in Columbus, Ohio—where growers, breeders, and the industry’s biggest brands preview what’s next—hydrangeas aren’t showing up as “more of the same.” They’re emerging as category disrupters: bred for stronger …
Continue reading "Hydrangeas for Every Situation: How New Cultivars Are Changing the Way We Garden"
Rewilding has quickly become one of those terms you hear everywhere—at lectures, in garden magazines, on plant tags, and across social media. But as its popularity grows, its meaning often becomes diluted just when clarity matters most. In the video below, I show you how I transformed a client’s suburban landscape—once dominated by pachysandra and …
Continue reading "Rewilding in a Climate Changed Garden"
Every spring, I watch the same ritual unfold. Gardeners head to the nursery full of optimism. They load their carts with compost, fertilizer, lime, “plant food,” maybe a bright new bag promising bigger blooms or deeper green lawns. They come home and begin spreading amendments generously, convinced they are giving their plants exactly what they …
Continue reading "From the Ground Up – The Importance of Soil Testing"
What to look for in the garden after winter: check plants, soil, wildlife, winter damage, and the first spring tasks after snow melts. Weeks of extreme cold, ice, and snow, when I see the first bare ground it feels like a turning point. Most gardeners walk outside and immediately feel the urge to clean up. …
Continue reading "When the Snow Finally Melts: What to Look for First in Your Garden"
Will weeks of sub-zero cold damage hydrangeas, berries, and other garden plants? Understanding winter survival in garden plants is more complicated than temperature alone. How Winter Survival Works in Garden Plants After a stretch of extreme winter weather — nights dropping below 0°F and days stuck in the teens and twenties for weeks, combined with …
Continue reading "Snow Is Protection: Understanding Winter Survival in the Garden"
As I write this, a major winter storm is on its way, bringing the familiar mix of snow, ice, and biting cold. For gardeners, these moments always spark the same question: Should I be doing something? The answer is: sometimes yes, often no — and occasionally, absolutely not. A winter garden is not dormant in …
Amaryllis bulbs are a popular Christmas gift and with the proper care, you can have a beautiful winter/early spring blooming bulb for many years.
